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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. root — the cause
  7. mine — for digging
  8. branch — a division
  9. root — of a word
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. field — a subject
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. field — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stock — goods
  23. root — of a plant
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com